Slowing Down

"Life has a way of"...fill in the blank. For me right now, life has a way of slowing me down. I am one of those strong headed people that tends to push through challenges un-phased by fear or pain. I am not risk-averse and tend to leap before I look. I learned this early in life as a distance runner--just push through the pain, despite the aching knees, despite the hip that is locking up, just keep running. Just jump off that bridge before considering the depth of the water, because it seems the right thing to do, and it seems fun. That was me before yoga. That was me before 40. That was me before 3 sweet young children.

This is me now: Bringing "union" to your body, soul and mind (which is what this practice tends to do) often sets into motion a series of realizations. My body feels this, my heart feels this, my mind thinks this, I notice, I breathe, I ponder. I change. Sometimes surrendering to what our bodies, hearts and minds are trying to tell us is not easy. It takes a bit of discipline and courage to face the truth of what is unfolding in our lives, especially when it is not in our grand plans. Right now everything in me--body, soul and mind is screaming for me to slow down and just be. My intuition is warning me to pay attention or I might miss something really important. To avoid being cryptic or obtuse, I will just say that in the last year my work has begun to take over more of my life than is probably healthy for me or my family. For me it is time to perhaps prune some trees, get some help, delegate, etc. Additionally, my father has come to live with us either temporarily or possibly semi-permanently. He is very ill with 3 different forms of cancer. These are precious times. I missed out on a lot of time with my Dad in childhood, but to see my Dad with my three kids now is such a joy. It stirs in me both a sense of loss mixed with fulfillment and promise and reconciliation. He is tender, funny, kind and helpful. It is a blessing to have my Dad around. But I have a sense that soon things will be hard, painful and perhaps profoundly sad. It is times like these that make you want to batten down the hatches and prepare for the storm to come. My best choice is to listen to these subtle nuances erupting from my soul.

I share this with you, my community, to encourage you to also listen to your own intuition, your own wisdom. I encourage you to pay attention. I encourage you to have the courage to do what your inner voice of love beckons you to do. It is your best choice. One of my favorite people, Vanessa Sanford, a counselor here in Frisco, has these words on the wall as you enter her counseling practice: "Courage over Comfort." May we all choose courage over comfort because comfort has a way of lulling us to sleep while we miss opportunities to truly live in these bodies of ours, to truly make the most of our time, to truly be present to those who matter most. May we have the courage to love without limits, to pay attention, to have real conversations about what is on our hearts, to give generously even when it doesn't make sense to do so in the eyes of the world. Courage overcomes fear. And love overcomes fear in the highest sense. I choose love. What do you choose today?